Population

McAllen

143,789

Columbus

204,383

Median Income

McAllen

$60,165

Columbus

$56,622

Home Value

McAllen

$173,800

Columbus

$182,300

Rent

McAllen

$1,017

Columbus

$1,072

Crime Rate

McAllen

1.51

Columbus

6.08

Cost of Living

McAllen

99.9

Columbus

96.1

Avg Temp

McAllen

N/A

Columbus

N/A

Unemployment

McAllen

5.5%

Columbus

6.5%

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How Similar Are McAllen & Columbus?

Columbus is McAllen's #15 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

McAllen

143,789

vs

Columbus

204,383

Different · 30% difference

Columbus has a 30% larger population than McAllen.

Violent Crime

McAllen

1.51

vs

Columbus

6.08

Different · 75% difference
🚨

Columbus's violent crime is significantly higher than McAllen's — 75% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

McAllen

18.36

vs

Columbus

22.36

Different · 18% difference

Columbus has a 18% higher property crime than McAllen.

Political Leaning

McAllen

51.0%

vs

Columbus

38.0%

Different · 25% difference
🗳️

McAllen leans Republican while Columbus leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

McAllen

5.5%

vs

Columbus

6.5%

Different · 15% difference

Columbus has a 15% higher unemployment than McAllen.

Median Income

McAllen

$60,165

vs

Columbus

$56,622

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

McAllen

$173,800

vs

Columbus

$182,300

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.

Education

McAllen

20.1%

vs

Columbus

19.6%

Match · 2% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.

Demographics

🌍

McAllen

43.1%

vs

Columbus

39.3%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.

Cost of Living

McAllen

99.9

vs

Columbus

96.1

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. McAllen and Columbus share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

McAllen

vsof 8

0

Columbus

McAllen leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

McAllen has a fair market rent (1br) of $847 vs $939 in Columbus (10% lower). Columbus scores 86.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 92.0 in McAllen. Columbus scores 96.1 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 99.9 in McAllen.

Overall Cost Index

McAllen99.9
Columbus96.1

Housing Index

McAllen109.3
Columbus105.7

Food Index

McAllen96.0
Columbus93.3

Transportation Index

McAllen92.0
Columbus86.6

Healthcare Index

McAllen96.8
Columbus94.6

Utilities Index

McAllen99.4
Columbus97.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

McAllen$43,937
Columbus$42,291

Living Wage (Family of 4)

McAllen$103,851
Columbus$99,960

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

McAllen$847
Columbus$939

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

McAllen$1,060
Columbus$1,088

Housing Market — McAllen leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a median property tax of $1,526 vs $3,096 in McAllen (103% lower). McAllen has a owner-occupied of 59.0% compared to 50.2% in Columbus. McAllen has a median rent of $1,017 vs $1,072 in Columbus (5% lower).

Median Home Value

McAllen$173,800
Columbus$182,300

Median Rent

McAllen$1,017
Columbus$1,072

Median Property Tax

McAllen$3,096
Columbus$1,526

Owner-Occupied

McAllen59.0%
Columbus50.2%

Vacancy Rate

McAllen11.4%
Columbus11.7%

Single-Family Homes

McAllen69.3%
Columbus69.3%

Jobs & Economy — McAllen leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus: 96,126 vs McAllen: 67,352 for labor force. McAllen has a work from home of 11.5% compared to 9.3% in Columbus. McAllen has a unemployment rate of 5.5% compared to 6.5% in Columbus.

Median Household Income

McAllen$60,165
Columbus$56,622

Per Capita Income

McAllen$29,406
Columbus$32,811

Poverty Rate

McAllen20.2%
Columbus18.8%

Unemployment Rate

McAllen5.5%
Columbus6.5%

Labor Force

McAllen67,352
Columbus96,126

Mean Commute

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Work from Home

McAllen11.5%
Columbus9.3%

Private Sector

McAllen91.8%
Columbus80.8%

Government Sector

McAllen39.7%
Columbus36.1%

Crime & Safety — McAllen leads

Source: FBI UCR

McAllen has a violent crime clearance of 70.9% compared to 37.9% in Columbus. McAllen has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.84 compared to 5.15 in Columbus. McAllen has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.64 compared to 3.54 in Columbus.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

McAllen1.51
Columbus6.08

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

McAllen18.36
Columbus22.36

Murder Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.03
Columbus0.13

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.24
Columbus0.51

Assault Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.84
Columbus5.15

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.64
Columbus3.54

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

McAllen17.05
Columbus16.36

Violent Crime Clearance

McAllen70.9%
Columbus37.9%

Property Crime Clearance

McAllen24.3%
Columbus21.2%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Avg Annual High

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Avg Annual Low

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Sunny Days per Year

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Annual Rainfall

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Annual Snowfall

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Avg Humidity

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Columbus has a high school diploma or higher of 37.3% compared to 33.1% in McAllen. McAllen has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.1% compared to 19.6% in Columbus.

Public Schools

McAllen0
Columbus0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Colleges & Universities

McAllen0
Columbus0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

McAllen20.1%
Columbus19.6%

High School Diploma or Higher

McAllen33.1%
Columbus37.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a population of 204,383, about 1.4x the size of McAllen (143,789). McAllen skews younger with a median age of 34.0 vs 35.1.

Population

McAllen143,789
Columbus204,383

Median Age

McAllen34
Columbus35

Avg Household Size

McAllen3.0
Columbus2.5

Married Population

McAllen39.3%
Columbus33.7%

Foreign Born

McAllen25.7%
Columbus5.3%

White

McAllen43.1%
Columbus39.3%

Black

McAllen0.9%
Columbus46.7%

Hispanic

McAllen86.5%
Columbus8.3%

Asian

McAllen2.9%
Columbus2.6%

McAllen

Columbus

Healthcare — McAllen leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

McAllen: 5 vs Columbus: 4 for with emergency services. McAllen: 3.7 vs Columbus: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

McAllen5
Columbus5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

McAllen3.7
Columbus3.0

With Emergency Services

McAllen5
Columbus4

Transportation & Commute — Columbus leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a public transit of 0.8% compared to 0.5% in McAllen. McAllen has a work from home of 11.5% compared to 9.3% in Columbus. Columbus has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.3% in McAllen.

Mean Commute Time

McAllenN/A
ColumbusN/A

Drive Alone

McAllen72.2%
Columbus76.6%

Public Transit

McAllen0.5%
Columbus0.8%

Bicycle

McAllen0.3%
Columbus0.3%

Work from Home

McAllen11.5%
Columbus9.3%

Airports

McAllen0
Columbus0

Cities Similar to McAllen, TX

Compare McAllen against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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